


Cockpits and Bridges

by songbook



Series: In A Bar Far, Far Away [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-17 23:39:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14841405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songbook/pseuds/songbook
Summary: In a bar far, far away...General Organa sits down for a drink with some rowdy pilots and a certain Vice Admiral interrupts.





	Cockpits and Bridges

The drinks had been pouring long before Leia sat down. The rowdy pilots had called her over when she had walked into the bar and she was happy for the company. Sometimes she needed to see the young kids laughing and smiling to remind her what this war was all about. Not to mention she enjoyed their company. 

Poe set a drink in front of her with a grand smile. “Thought you could use a pint after all that sitting around and talking to other important people.” 

Leia raised an eyebrow as she picked up the cool glass. “Is that what you think I do? Sit around and talk?” 

Poe paused mid sip, “Am I wrong?” 

“Yes. Sometimes we stand around and talk.” The table let out a hearty laugh and Leia took a long drink from whatever concoction that Poe had given her. She was glad she could sit down with them to enjoy a night away from the fighting. Han had always been the one to remind her that she needed to spend time with kids like these; to put everything in perspective. 

“Is that why Poe can’t get promoted?” asked Starck, smacking his buddy on the back. “Because everyone knows you can’t sit and talk?” 

“He does get promoted…after he gets demoted,” laughed Kaydel Ko Connix. Leia smiled as the young group teased Poe. Poe himself was enjoying the attention as usual. 

“As if you would let me drag you out of the cockpit, Commander,” retorted Leia. 

Poe raised his hand in a mock salute and declared, “I was born in a cockpit and I’ll die in one.” 

“Cheers to that,” said Paige Tico as she raised her glass. For not the first time that night, glasses clinked together. 

Leia turned to Poe as the group chattered about. “You’ll get new recruits next week. Most have never seen an X-wing before, let alone flew one. Remember that.” 

“Aye, General,” replied Poe more seriously. Then a mischievous glint in his eye caught Leia’s attention. “Of course, I’ll be a poor replacement for Commander Atkisom.” 

It took Leia a moment to remember Hananat Atkisom. She was fighter pilot who had perished over three years ago. She had been a smart woman with an abundance of patience and had trained most of the pilots that flew now, including Poe. 

“Oh, good ole Atkisom,” cooed Tubbs with a goofy smile. Starck and Paige nodded in agreement. “Now that was a woman.” 

Leia also remembered that Atkisom had been particularly attractive. No wonder Poe had liked her. 

“To Commander Atkisom!” 

They all tipped back their drinks again and had to flag down the waiter for more. Poe had a dreamy look in his eyes when he reminisced, “She was the one that got away.” 

“She was old enough to be your mother.” Leia could see Poe harboring a crush on his flight instructor, but she couldn’t see Atkisom returning the favor.

“That didn’t stop him from asking her out,” laughed Kaydel Ko. Leia could picture a young and daring Poe, not unlike the one now, propositioning Atkisom. 

Paige added, “Turned him down flat.” 

“It still hurts,” gasped Poe as he dramatically grabbed his chest. They all laughed at his antics. 

“You couldn’t have possibly thought you had a chance.” 

Tubbs took a big drink and winked at Poe. “Flyboy here has a thing for hot women who boss him around.” 

“There’s something about a woman in charge,” agreed Poe and he gave a seductive wink to Leia. She laughed at the insinuation and finished off her drink. 

“Thought you said all I did was sit around and talk,” she smirked, and his friends whooped wildly. It lifted her spirits to see them like this. Leia would rue the day that she was too old and tired for a little goodhearted flirting. 

With his dark eyes smoldering, Poe stared her down and quipped, “I promise that a night with me would be much more exciting than a day in those conference rooms.” More cheering erupted from the group. Two could play this game though. 

“If Atkisom knew well enough to turn you down, then I’ll have to trust her instinct.” 

Poe clutched at his heart again, feigning injury. But before he could retort, a new, although familiar, voice came from behind them. “Your lady friends here stood a better chance with Hananat Atkisom than you did.” 

Leia turned her head to be greeted by the sight of bright blue hair and a tall slender body. Amilyn Holdo winked at her as the rest of the table reacted to her statement. As they hooted and hollered, she said, “Vice Admiral Holdo, what a surprise.” 

“Good to see you too, General.” Her eyes were dancing with mischief. Pulling up a chair, she continued addressing the younger group. “While Hananat preferred only the more superior gender, your General here would happily hop into the cockpit with any young gun with a ship that was falling apart.” 

“I’ll have you know that I left them all better than I found them,” came Leia’s quick reply to the glee of her pilots. Amilyn had that look in her eye that often led to danger. A good kind of danger, but danger all the same. But Leia was up for the game tonight, especially when she had such a captive audience. 

“But why a Princess would settle for a rusty tin can with wings when she could have any battlecruiser or capitol ship in the galaxy is a question we may never know the answer to.” 

“Apparently the Vice Admiral doesn’t understand the value of a quick and nimble starfighter,” Leia wasn’t paying attention to Poe’s catcalling or Paige’s giggling. It had been three months since she had last seen Amilyn and she had missed this too much. “They can maneuver in the tightest spaces and have a lot more firepower than most think.” 

“But a cockpit can be so limiting as it’s only purpose is to shoot things and get out quick.” Amilyn flipped her blue hair and took Leia’s drink from her hand. Their fingers brushed briefly, but Amilyn was quick to raise the glass to her pale lips. “But the bridge of cruiser, now that’s where the real decisions are made. It’s much larger and for some things, bigger really is better.” 

“Hey, now-” started Poe, but was shushed immediately by Kaydel Ko. The kids were hanging on to every word. They had never seen anyone talk to the General this way. Even Poe’s teasing flirtation didn’t come close. 

Leia’s eyes never left Amilyn’s. “There are just somethings you can accomplish in a cockpit that a bridge would find too complicated. Sometimes there are too many people in control. Sometimes it takes a steady hand and good trigger finger.” Leia’s voice was getting lower, she was almost surprised by the gravel in her own voice. She knew that her cheeks were beginning to flush. Damn the things Amilyn could bring out in her. 

And Amilyn had noticed. “A pristine, fully operational bridge of a cruiser isn’t something to be trifled with. And the guns are much bigger. They pack a lot more firepower…more explosives. And everyone knows that at the end of the day, it’s all about who gets the job done.” 

“Where’s the adventure in knowing what you’re going to get?” 

Amilyn set Leia’s drink back on the table and swept her eyes over the group. “The unexpected can still happen on the bridge of even the best, most experienced ship. But right now, I should get back to my perfect sized, heavily armored, fully equipped starship. The bridge is waiting.” 

With a nod to the pilots and a sly smile to Leia, Amilyn took her leave. Leia’s eyes couldn’t help but watch her leave. The dark red dress did little to hide the slender curves of her hips. Leia knew Amilyn knew she was watching and that brought her own lips into a smile. 

“I have to agree with the General,” remarked Poe. “A good cockpit is worth more than the bridge of any battlecruiser.” 

Leia finally looked in his direction when Amilyn slipped out of the bar. “I’m afraid that tonight, Commander Dameron, that I’ll be finding myself on the bridge of an extremely capable starship. If you’ll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.” 

Before they could wish her a goodnight, Leia was heading out of the bar after Amilyn. She knew this story would get around the Rebel base quickly, but she didn’t care. Leia didn’t know how long Amilyn would be here and she wasn’t going to waste another second. 

The cold air rushed at her as she exited the bar. A light chuckle escaped her when she saw the blue haired woman leaning up against the wall. Amilyn always had a different color in her hair every time she saw her. “What’s a woman like you doing in a place like this?” 

Amilyn’s response made all her cares disappear into space. “Waiting on a woman like you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not sure why Poe has an interest in women in this, as I’ve always imagined him to be very into men. But hey, maybe Poe likes a little of any gender. Anyway, not sure why I needed to say that. Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
